Saturday, February 6 from 4-7 pm
Three Rivers Memorial Building

Mark your calendar for September 26, 2009 for the Annual Three Rivers Concert on the Grass

Since 1982, the last Saturday in September has been the time for a free outdoor music concert in Three Rivers.  Patrons bring picnics, blankets, chairs and gather on the grass to listen to a variety of talented people in the musical and performing arts. The venue opens at 1:30 pm, giving time to set up your listening space and enjoy a fine arts exhibit with the local Arts Alliance.  Program starts at 2:30 pm.

The 2009 performing artists include:

Keith and Esther Zurcher-Hamm, of Mankin Creek, on guitar with multiple renditions of favorite songs including country, pop, and jazz.

Melissa Black and Bill Haxton, poets

Laura Walters and John Slade, actors

Lauren Adaska and Leah Spencer, vocalists

Davit Reid on bagpipes

Jesse Belman, of Faena Brava, on guitar with Pat Valentine on cello, with Fabi and Marilou Belman, and Jovita Metts performing folklorico and flamenco dancing

Ken Elias on piano, playing Beethoven, Debussy and Joplin

For directions see details here.  For more information call Ken Elias at 559-561-0610.

The Redbud Festival is sponsored by  the Arts Alliance of Three Rivers. Call 559.561.4417 for more information.

Ladies and Gentleman of Washington State Cultural Institutions,

Please consider joining me at the 2009 Washington Cultural Congress, April 27 through 29.

I went last year to make a presentation about social networking and low-cost, grassroots marketing. It was a great experience to meet my museum colleagues from around the state, and artists, board members, and administrators from libraries, historical societies, and arts education groups from all over. Plus, Sleeping Lady, in Leavenworth is GORGEOUS. I am really looking forward to this year’s event.

They’ve extended the early-bird registration price, too. Details after the jump.

Ok. I lied – the “details” formatted in a way that broke my blog -but they are all here for you.

Progress!

Some tidbits and tidbats, laid out in front of your very eyes like twitter tweets poured from a teacup:

* The Evergreen State College photo center interns had their show last weekend, and I went, and there were lots of people. I didn’t get a chance to mention this project to barely anybody, but I did talk to a few people, all of whom are on board, at least provisionally. Those people are:

Beck Nelson — currently working in analog color photography, his recent work comprises images of buildings, landscapes, birds, etc. printed with brightly colored yet ghostly shapes emerging from the subjects. Everything seems held together with scotch tape. Definite design sensibility yet unafraid to show the imperfection of the underlying materials.

Rachel Lang — recently completed a series of transparent color portraits, which she embedded in thick chunks of glycerin and lit from behind, evoking at once both the feeling of a glowing jesus votive and a body frozen in ice.

Julia DeConcini — a playful explosion of southwest american motifs in large prints with a strong, almost leatherlike presence. She explores the underlying nature of black-and-white photographic materials by subjecting the prints to certain chemical processes and adds color to the work with paint and varnish.

* Additionally, I had a good, long talk with former TESC photo services intern Vanessa LaValle who is now on board as well. Vanessa’s moved off to Cleveland, where she reports that there are no darkrooms nor any meaningful photographic community, so she’s resorted to low-tech photoshop drawings that I find simultaneously hilarious and evocative. Since none of them actually exist on paper, so far as I know, she’ll probably be sending me some files to print. Bro grabs 40 inches high, anyone?

* The deadline for the Arts Alliance of Yamhill County is fast approaching; the amount is very small indeed at only $100, but securing even a small amount of funding would help give me the encouragement I need to get these folks’ work out into the world AND it would cover the cost of printing flyers — so, nothing to sneeze at! Stay tuned, as I plan to post the grant application soon.

Austin Artists should be very proud of their level of political sophistication and advocacy. The Arts Alliance’s political success for the past four years is attributed to the artists and the arts’ organizations in Austin, TX. Their sacrifice, hard work and commitment to Austin’s future for the past forty years has created an organized and professional group of advocates and representatives that the Arts Alliance channels to political clout and representation. Through the Arts Alliance – an informal but active coalition of artists from the music, film/video, visual, performance and literature industries in Austin, TX – and the ease of digital communication, Austin artists have affected a political awakening of the economic, social, educational and political power of the arts in Austin, TX. Recently, the Arts Alliance held their third consecutive Austin City Council Candidate’s forum and have posted our third consecutive Austin Voters Guide for the Arts. This year’s Austin Voters Guide for the Arts represents the pending issues and rallying point for Austin artists to advocate for a stronger, more powerful arts in Austin, TX. Remember, elections are the one time politicians need us so it is up to us artists to once again prove our contribution to Austin’s economy and lifestyle. Review the Austin Voters Guide for the Arts and use the guide to execute your ultimate power on May 10, 2008 in the Austin City Council elections – your vote.

The 2008 Austin City Council Voters Guide is posted and public. Please review the 2008 Austin City Council Voters Guide as your guide for the future of Austin. Please refer this blog posting to every arts group, leader, supporter and artist in the city of Austin as the guide for Austin’s future. There are three fundamental questions the Arts Alliance posted and asked each candidate at the Austin City Council Candidates’ Arts forum and the 2008 Austin City Council Voters Guide regarding public funding and representation of the arts in Austin. TX. The $2.2 billion Arts industry is one of the most significant economies of Austin, TX in regards to jobs, tourism, education, lifestyle and economic development and the arts’ future is contingent on the Austin City Council. Our vote is vitally important to the future of Austin, TX on who best will promote a vibrant economy that preserves the unique nature and character of Austin, TX. And, remember, when reviewing the candidates’ responses that no answer is an answer.

Here is the weblink to the 2008 Austin City Council Voters Guide to forward to every citizen of Austin, TX: http://mayrichard.wordpress.com/the-arts-2008-austin-city-council-voters-guide/

Click here for more information on the Arts Alliance.

The Arts Alliance is an informal but active coalition of artists and arts leaders advocating the five arts industries (music, film/video, visual, performance and literature) before Austin, Texas and national government.

Formed in the Spring of 2005, the Arts Alliance has successfully advocated for the Arts networking thousands of Texas artists, arts leaders and supporters through Arts Alliance e-mail updates, advocacy alerts and postings on this blog.

JOIN the ARTS ALLIANCE by e-mailing Richard@SongwritersSeries.com. The Arts Alliance unity and advocacy represent the modern renaissance of the arts in America. JOIN NOW to generate strength in numbers for a better society through the Arts.

Texas Congressional district 10 candidate Larry Joe Doherty attended the Arts Alliance Austin City Council Candidates Arts forum. He spoke before the group of filmmakers, writers, performers, musicians and painters and proudly proclaimed his support for the arts while recognizing the arts’ profound economic contribution through the thousands of artists that are small business owners creating jobs for Texans.

From the Arts Alliance to Texas congressional candidate Larry Joe Doherty, thank you for your recognition and support for the arts industries (music, film/video, visual, literature and performance). We, the artists in Congressional District 10, and in the state of Texas thank you!

The third consecutive Austin City Council Candidates Arts Forum is scheduled for Wednesday April 16th, 5:30-7 p.m. at Nuevo Leon Restaurant.  The following candidates have confirmed their attendance and participation:
Place 1 Candidates:
Allen Demling
Lee Leffingwell
Jason Meeker

Place 3 Candidates:
Jennifer Kim
Randi Shade
Ken Weiss

Place 4 Candidates:
Robin Cravey
Cid Galindo
Laura Morrison
Samuel Osemene

The Austin City Council Candidates Arts forum will be held:
Wednesday April 16th, 2008
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Nuevo Leon Restaurant
1501 E. 6th St.
Austin, TX 78702
479-0097

The Arts Alliance will also be posting our third consecutive Austin Voters Guide on the Arts on the Web for all voters to view. Our two past Austin Voters Guides on the Arts received thousands of views during the elections and every City Council person elected to the Austin City Council has submitted a positive platform regarding the Arts through the Arts Alliance.

The Arts Alliance is a coalition of thousands of Texas artists partnered through the Austin Film Society, The Texas Writers League, Austin Visual Arts Association, The Texas Commission on the Arts, The Austin Music Commission, The Austin Circle of Theaters and many more. The Arts Alliance has helped the grassroots passage of the $35 million arts bond in Austin, TX; the preservation of the Texas Commission of the Arts, the Austin City Council Candidates Arts Forum and the Austin Voters Guide on the Arts in the past two elections.

The Arts Alliance represents the five major Arts industries: Music, Film/Video, Visual, Performance and Literature.
They are represented by:
Music – Teresa Ferguson, Austin Music Commission
Film/Video – Rebecca Campbell, Executive Director Austin Film Society
Visual – Bill Keese, President & Kelli Montgomery, Executive Director, Austin Visual Arts Association
Performance – Latifah Taormina, Executive Director Austin Circle of Theaters
Literature – John Pipken, Texas Writers League

Richard May, Political Strategist
Sandy Duncan, Political Strategist
Lois Jebo, Political Strategist

For more information on the Arts Alliance and the upcoming Austin City Council Candidates Arts Forum contact Richard May at richard@songwritersseries.com or 512/567-5972

Ramat Gan-Based start-up Kenshoo has developed Search Engine Marketing (SEM) technology which allows automation of some of the tedious tasks involved in building online marketing campaigns. After receiving initial funding from Sequoia Capital in 2007, it has now received an additional injection of investment from Arts Alliance, a venture capital firm investing primarily in European companies.

Kenshoo’s platform, known as KENSHOO SEARCH, aims to automate and manage processes such as selecting relevant keywords, updating deep link URL’s, creating effective ads, providing and constantly updating bids, monitoring traffic, structuring cross platform campaigns and reporting and analyzing data on-time. According to their website, the platform works with the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN.

Thomas Hoegh, Managing Partner of Arts Alliance and a Board Member of Kenshoo, said they were impressed with Kenshoo’s innovative approach to search engine marketing. “This is a great team that has developed market-leading technology that solves the problems of online advertising by using a unique Quality Management approach.” He hopes the investment will help expand an already impressive list of clients.

Yoav Izhar-Prato, CEO and co-founder of Kenshoo, added that a “high calibre investor like Arts Alliance is an important endorsement of Kenshoo’s business and we believe they will be instrumental in helping Kenshoo to expand its market share both in the UK and in continental Europe.”

Check out the press release for more info.

BOX OFFICE

FILM …………………………GROSS

1 21……………………………………………$23,700,000
2 Horton Hears A Who……………… $17,425,000
3 Superhero Movie……………………. $9,510,000
4 Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns …$7,760,000
5 Drillbit Taylor………………………… $5,800,000
6 Shutter ……………………………………$5,325,000
7 10,000 B.C. ……………………………..$4,880,000
8 Stop-Loss ……………………………….$4,525,000
9 College Road Trip …………………..$3,505,000
10 Bank Job, The ……………………….$2,800,000

PROJECTS ANNOUNCED

In a preemptive buy in the high six-figures, Paramount Pictures has acquired “One Big Happy,” a comic pitch from “Party of Five” creators Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman to which Steve Martin and Diane Keaton are attached to star. John Goldwyn and Lorne Michaels will produce. Concept is being kept under wraps, but sources describe “One Big Happy” as a family comedy about a couple and a family reconnecting amid various obstacles. The material is a strong match for Martin and Keaton, who played a married couple in the Charles Shyer-directed “Father of the Bride” and its sequel.

Rights to producer-scribe Irving Belateche’s noir-thriller pitch “Combustion” have gone to 72 Prods. Details are under wraps, but pic follows a loner G.I. back from WWII who investigates the murder of a fellow soldier, leading him to a conspiracy and cover-up. An insider to the deal put the sale at just above six figures. Jennifer Chaiken and Sebastian Dungan are producing for 72 Prods., with Andy Cohen exec producing. Belateche’s projects include “Expecting” at Spyglass, “The Demolished Man” for Paramount and “The Crimson Veil” at Odd Lot, with Lawrence Bender producing. Shingle is producing the feature film adaptation of former U.S. Marine Capt. Brian Steidle’s memoir about serving in Darfur, “The Devil Came on Horseback.”

PROJECT UPDATES

Harvey Weinstein’s efforts to placate fans of “Fanboys” failed to prevent a protest in Los Angeles during the opening night of Dimension’s spoof “Superhero Movie.” TWC announced last week that it would release “Fanboys,” centered on “Star Wars” fans who break into Skywalker Ranch, on DVD in two versions — including one with a cancer subplot sought by fans who had threatened a boycott of TWC films via the StopDarthWeinstein.com website. That announcement triggered an angry reaction over release of the altered version, without the subplot. “If you release your mutilated anti-fan version of ‘Fanboys’ in any form, you can look forward to a lifetime boycott of your studio by every ‘Star Wars’ fan on the planet,” the site said. The Los Angeles protest drew very few supporters. Those who did show were decked out in “Star Wars” regalia. The website noted gleefully that “Superhero,” which debuted with $9.5 million, had underperformed expectations, but the Weinstein Co. said the protest had very little, if any, impact on the film’s box office. The “Fanboys” cast includes Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell, Seth Rogen and Dan Fogler.

Mos Def and Gabrielle Union are joining the cast of writer-director Darnell Martin’s “Cadillac Records,” lensing in New Jersey. Def plays Chuck Berry and Union portrays Geneva Wade, girlfriend (then wife) of Muddy Waters. Previously announced cast includes Adrien Brody, Beyonce Knowles and Jeffrey Wright. Rock ‘n’ roll pic charts sex, violence and the civil rights movement along with the music biz in 1950s Chicago. Sony BMG Films anticipates a 2009 release. Def’s upcoming projects include “Keep Coming Back” and “Next Day Air”; Union, who recurs on “Ugly Betty,” stars with Eddie Murphy in “Meet Dave,” set for release in July via Fox. Dave Annable (“Brothers & Sisters”) is set to star in Nora Ephron’s “Julie & Julia,” alongside Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. His credits include “Reunion” and “Little Black Book.”

Curtiss Cook has been cast in Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Michelle Williams. He appears on Fox’s “New Amsterdam” and he’ll next be seen in “Order of Redemption,” starring Tom Berenger and Armand Assante.

Robinne Lee has signed on to two films, “Seven Pounds,” starring Will Smith, and “Hotel for Dogs,” in which she’ll play Don Cheadle’s wife. Lee’s film credits include “Hitch” and “13 Going on 30.”

ACQUISITIONS/ FESTIVAL NEWS

Arts Alliance America has picked up jazz docu “Chops,” which follows a group of talented high school musicians as they make their way up the competish circuit from Jacksonville, Fla., to Gotham’s Lincoln Center. Feel-good docu about the highs and lows of competish and puberty is expected to open in five to eight markets in early fall, and the distrib also aims to reach high school students via localized screenings. Deal for domestic rights includes DVD and TV and is said to be valued at about $225,000. TV offers are under consideration. “Chops” debuted last year at the Tribeca Film Festival, and it was purchased a month after the fest ended.

BUSINESS NEWS

He’s a superhero to rights holders — but Kryptonite to studios. Last week, attorney Marc Toberoff won a potentially costly “Superman” victory against Warner Bros. for co-creator Jerome Siegel’s heirs. The federal ruling, which gives the heirs a stake in rights sold 71 years ago, could put a serious crimp on future plans for one of the studio’s most enduring — and lucrative — franchises, especially if co-creator Joe Shuster’s heirs follow suit in five years, when they are eligible to do so. As it is, the studio has at least two Superman projects in development — a follow-up to Bryan Singer’s “Superman Returns” and “Justice League” — and it may end up paying tens of millions from the domestic haul of “Superman Returns” to Siegel’s heirs under the ruling, which applies to domestic monies for Superman projects since 1999. The case is Toberoff’s latest — and potentially most damaging — claim against the studio. The dedicated copyright crusader has pursued claims involving “Wild Wild West,” “Dukes of Hazzard,” “Smallville” and the upcoming “Get Smart.” He has gone after other studios, including Sony, but his most high-profile cases — and victories — have involved Warners. The studio paid “Moonrunners” producer Robert B. Clark a $17.5 million settlement in a case about similarities between that 1974 movie and the bigscreen “The Dukes of Hazzard.” And a federal judge ruled earlier in the Siegels’ favor over “Smallville,” although that was challenged and the case still being resolved. The studio declined to comment on the latest ruling in favor of their legal nemesis, issuing only a statement noting that, “substantial issues relating to the accounting of profits were ruled in our favor.”

Barry Diller openly mused a month ago about possibly losing control of his Web-based empire in a proxy battle with John Malone. But a Delaware court handed Diller a surprising victory Friday, allowing Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp to proceed with plans to break up into five autonomous, publicly traded units. Judge Stephen Lamb, vice chancellor of Delaware Chancery Court, decided that a breakup does not violate the majority shareholder rights of Malone’s Liberty Media. Lamb declined to address Malone’s contention that the breakup constitutes a breach of fiduciary duty to shareholders, saying he could rule on that question at a later date. But the ruling does leave open the possibility that Malone could agitate against the breakup as a board member of IAC.

Newsweek will lose 111 staffers to buyouts, including veteran film critic David Ansen. The news weekly offered 146 staffers a handsome buyout package, which had to be accepted by March 25. The offer was too good — including a sweetened pension, health coverage until age 65 and two years’ salary — for 30-year Newsweek critic and senior editor Ansen to refuse. “It was a good deal,” he said. “They didn’t want me to leave, which put me in a nice bargaining position. They may have been shocked at how many people took the offer.” While many of the 111 Newsweek employees who did accept the buyout will leave May 30, the 62-year-old Ansen negotiated to continue reviewing for the magazine until year’s end, at which point he will start a yearlong contract as contributing editor delivering reviews and longer features.

The 29 rebel agents who fled PFD, the U.K.’s oldest and largest tenpercentery, to launch breakaway outfit United Agents have endured a year of turmoil and conflict. But now, at last, peace appears to be in sight. After a few months of staff working from home and out of temporary offices under a cloud of litigation, United Agents is finally getting ready to open the doors of its new permanent HQ on Soho’s Lexington Street. Comedy mogul Peter Bennett-Jones, manager of Rowan Atkinson, has emerged as a key ally in brokering a settlement with CSS Stellar, PFD’s publicly-quoted parent. He will take a small stake in United Agents, and serve as co-chairman alongside Lindy King, whose clients include Keira Knightley. Bennett-Jones, who sold his production outfit Tiger Aspect in 2006 for more than $50 million but still runs his own boutique PBJ Management, has helped to secure a bank loan against earnings over the next five years. All 29 agents have also invested in the company. Now they can get back to devoting all their attention to their clients, who include many of the U.K.’s leading actors, directors and writers, such as Kate Winslet, Ricky Gervais, Mike Leigh, Alan Bennett and Richard Curtis.

Nippon Television pic production chief Seiji Okuda detailed the net’s future collaboration with toon house Production I.G. at a Thursday PR event at the Tokyo Anime Fair. Okuda was at the fair to celebrate the upcoming release of NTV-I.G. toon co-productions “The Sky Crawlers,” a feature-length air battle thriller by toon auteur Mamoru Oshii; and “Real Drive,” a sci-fi suspense series based on a comic by Shirow Masamune of “Ghost in the Shell” fame. According to Okuda, NTV intends to develop its partnership with Production I.G. beyond the net’s terrestrial strand to “nearly all media platforms,” including pay webcasts on the Gyao site, broadcasts on the Animax toon specialty channel, mobile vid clips, novelizations and Kodansha toon mag Shukan Magazine Z, which is skedded for an April launch.

NBC Universal Global Networks will launch its first pay TV channel in Japan on Tuesday. The Sci Fi Channel will bow on cable and satellite platform SkyPerfecTV, cabler J:Com and broadband cable TV service Yahoo! BB TV. The strand will source its programming from NBC Universal, CBS Paramount, 20th Century Fox and Broadmedia Studios, among others. Titles will include Japanese preems of “Eureka” and “Jericho” as well as local favorites “The X-Files” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

STRIKE NEWS/ LABOR ISSUES

Muddying the town’s labor outlook, AFTRA has divorced SAG and carried through on its threat to negotiate a separate deal with the majors on its primetime TV shows. AFTRA’s surprise decision, announced Saturday afternoon amid a welter of venomous accusations, means its contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers will launch as early as this week. Given what AFTRA prexy Roberta Reardon described as a long line of attempts to smear the union, she said the last straw came from SAG’s alleged efforts to take over jurisdiction of soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Rescinding its decision, Reardon added, is out of the question. “We can’t trust SAG,” she added. “Their leaders have engaged in a concerted effort to tarnish AFTRA’s reputation and diminish our standing.” SAG president Alan Rosenberg described AFTRA’s move as a long-planned power grab to sell out actors by offering low-ball contracts. “I think what AFTRA’s done is unconscionable, and I’m sick of getting lectures about trust from them,” he declared. “I’m furious about what they’ve done.”

A group of U.K. directors has launched a formal organization with the goal of securing a standard collective bargaining agreement with British employers. “There’s an increasingly large group of directors who need representation of their creative and economic rights,” said Charles Sturridge, chairman of Directors U.K. “We see this as a big, all-encompassing organization.” He also noted that directors in the U.K. have no standard contract addressing pay or working conditions. And they are paid considerably less than in the U.S. The London-based group — which already has a dozen employees and is aiming to rep 3,000 directors — has quietly evolved over the past two years as the successor org to the Directors and Producers Rights Society, which previously focused only on collections and rights exploitation. It has also replaced the Directors Guild of Great Britain, which agreed to fold its tent with the emergence of Directors U.K. Directors U.K. is planning to hold an official unveiling in May. Paul Greengrass (“The Bourne Ultimatum”) is president; board members include feature directors David Yates, Gurinder Chadha, Roger Michell and Simon Curtis, docu helmers Brian Hill, Simon Berthon and Peter Nicholson and TV director Peter Kosminsky.

INDUSTRY MOVES

International execs are rising under Warner Bros. marketing czar Sue Kroll. Kroll, installed as worldwide marketing prexy in January, awarded worldwide oversight to two of her top lieutenants from the international side in a reshuffling of the studio’s marketing ops Friday. Blair Rich, Kroll’s former assistant, got the biggest boost to exec VP of worldwide marketing, while Gene Garlock was upped to senior VP of worldwide promotions. International PR guru Lance Volland, meanwhile, will jointly head worldwide publicity with domestic PR maven Juli Goodwin. Exec VP of domestic marketing Debi Miller is exiting the studio to take a worldwide marketing post at CBS Films (Daily Variety, March 27). She is the second top domestic marketing exec to leave the studio since Warner Bros. Pictures Group prexy Jeff Robinov took control over marketing and distribution operations this year: Domestic marketing prexy Dawn Taubin ankled in January, with Kroll, formerly topper of international marketing, given worldwide oversight shortly thereafter.

TECHNOLOGY/ MULTI-PLATFORM CONTENT

In an effort to promote “The Tudors,” Showtime is giving away the first episode of the second season on YouTube, Amazon Unbox and iTunes. Meanwhile, “Tudors”-based ad campaigns have ramped up on blogs like Best Week Ever, Gawker and PopBytes. Showtime has increased its profile on social networking sites like Gather.com and Facebook as well, launching mini-games and embeddable applets challenging users to, among other things, rate their friends with the Facebook game “Bed, Wed, Behead.” Robert Hayes, senior VP of Showtime’s digital group, said the initiative is aimed at increasing “consumers’ exposure to premium television programs, but also to help drive subscription to the network.” The Showtime series’ second season premiered Sunday night.

WEBSITES TO WATCH

http://labs.cbs.com/HD_video/

CBS is testing a HD video player on the CBS Labs section of its site, streaming clips from a selection of primetime shows in the H.264/AVC format in 480p resolution.

http://www.buzznet.com/

Music-themed social network Buzznet acquired Qloud according to reports, maker of the popular “My Music” application used on Facebook, Bebo, Hi5 and Friendster founded by Steve Case. Buzznet just closed on a third round of funding in the neighborhood of $25 million from investors such as Universal Music’s Interscope Records, according to paidcontent.org.

http://www.foryourimagination.com/

New York-based online video studio For Your Imagination received $1 million in seed capital from CensensusOne Ventures to tide the company over as it seeks Series A financing. FYI produces series such as DadLabs and The Shirtless Apprentice for distributors including Next New Networks and Revision3.

SOURCES:

www.variety.com
www.cynopsis.com

Congratulations Larry Joe Doherty on your victory in the Texas Democratic primary for Congressional District 10, a district spanning from Central Austin to west Houston. Thank you Larry Joe Doherty for your recognition of the five arts industries in Texas. Thank you Candidate Dan Grant for your Arts Alliance recognition and platform as well. In response to the Arts Alliance question – what is your platform regarding the arts, Larry Joe Doherty responded verbatim:

Richard – As your Representative I will continue the support for the five arts industries that I’ve demonstrated in the past. Actions speak louder than words. As “Judge” on the nationally syndicated television show “Texas Justice” we pioneered TV production in Houston. It was the #1 rated new daytime TV show in America in 2001 and brought about $10,000,000.00 annually to the Houston economy. I’ve written and published my poetry, and recorded a song or two for the show. I know, respect and value the arts industry in America. I will work to protect its place in our society. Larry Joe Doherty

Larry Joe Doherty takes on incumbent Rep. Michael McCaul in the Texas Congressional District 10 general election in November. We have posed the same question above to Rep. Michael McCaul.

The Arts Alliance is a coalition of thousands of Texas artists partnered through the Austin Film Society, The Texas Writers League, Austin Visual Arts Association, The Texas Commission on the Arts, The Austin Music Commission, The Austin Circle of Theaters and many more. The Arts Alliance has helped the grassroots passage of the $35 million arts bond in Austin, TX; the preservation of the Texas Commission of the Arts, and the Austin City Council Candidates Arts forum in the past two elections. To join the Arts Alliance e-mail list, e-mail Richard May at RMay@Austin.rr.com.

An Open Letter to the Congressional 10 Candidates asking for their platform on the arts:

Dear Congressional 10 Candidates,

As a Congressional District 10 constituent and the representative for the Arts Alliance in Texas, we are asking what you would do to further the five arts industries in our district, Texas and the United States if elected to the U.S. Congress. The five arts industries – music, film/video, performance, visual and literature – represent one of most lucrative industries in Texas and the United States. In Texas’ alone these industries represent a $190 billion industry providing millions of jobs for Texans. It is important our elected officials represent and support these five industries through the NEA, Internet broadcast, royalty rates, economic incentives and other legislative initiatives. Please share your position regarding the five arts industries so we, the arts constituents of Congressional district 10 and in Texas, can support and vote for the best candidate. Thank you,

Richard May,
Austin, TX 78757

The Arts Alliance is a coalition of thousands of Texas artists partnered through the Austin Film Society, The Texas Writers League, Austin Visual Arts Association, The Texas Commission on the Arts, The Austin Music Commission, The Austin Circle of Theaters and many more. The Arts Alliance has helped the grassroots passage of the $35 million arts bond in Austin, TX; the preservation of the Texas Commission of the Arts, and the Austin City Council Candidates Arts forum in the past two elections.